A recent report by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR) indicates that the number of Jewish children attending Jewish faith schools in the UK is expected to reach

40,000 by the year 2025, a significant increase from 35,800 registered in the academic year 2020-21. This projected surge reflects a substantial growth trend, particularly within the Charedi Jewish community.

Historically, Jewish school enrollment has been on the rise. Back in the 1950s, there were only 5,200 British-Jewish children attending Jewish schools. However, by the mid-1990s, despite a decrease in the overall UK Jewish population, this number had climbed to 16,700. Government support for faith-based schooling contributed to this growth.

It is worth noting that the boom in Jewish schools is not exclusive to the Charedi sector. Over the past 25 years, enrollment in the non-Charedi sector has increased by 55%. From the academic years 2014-15 to 2020-21, mainstream primary school enrollments grew from 6,082 to 7,021, though they have since dipped from a peak of 7,131 five years ago. During the same six-year period, mainstream secondary school enrollments rose from 6,595 to 7,304.

The primary motivations for parents choosing Jewish schools for their children are to foster their Jewish identity (81%), enable them to build friendships with similar values (59%), and ensure academic excellence (45%). Interestingly, concerns about antisemitism were less significant in the UK (19%) compared to France (63%) and the rest of Europe (31%).

The report also highlighted that despite external factors such as the global pandemic and economic challenges, the fundamental reasons behind parental choices for Jewish schools have remained largely unchanged in the past five years.

While the cost of Jewish schooling was not a major factor for parents, JPR suggested that the Jewish school community could benefit from an influx of immigrants from Israel. The report notes that the number of Israel-born individuals living in the UK more than doubled between 2001 and 2021, with this trend expected to continue.

Dr. Jonathan Boyd, JPR's Executive Director and author of the report, emphasized the need for increased community investment in research to accurately project the demand for Jewish schooling in the years ahead. Photo by Philafrenzy, Wikimedia commons.